Tuesday, April 7, 1998Last modified at 2:13 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 1998

Texas' Highway Bucks

BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS have approved a highway spending bill that is more realistic than past bills have been about what kind of money needs to be spent to upgrade our deteriorating transportation system.

Another strong point of the bill is that it is much more fair about giving Texas its fair share of the federal highway trust fund - something that has not currently happening.

The trust fund is made up of taxes that are paid at the gasoline pump and used to pay for highway projects.

The problem for Texans has been that gasoline taxes collected in each state are not spent in that state. In fact, Texas currently gets back only 76 cents for every dollar of gasoline taxes that are accumulated in the Lone Star State.

This is out of line, especially considering that Texas has the largest highway system in the nation - and therefore needs the most maintenance - and is a state that endures much more North American Free Trade Agreement traffic than most states.

Texas' share of the highway dollars pie should be increased from $1.17 billion to $1.9 billion when the highway spending legislation is signed. That is an increase of 62.7 percent.

Highway spending on a national basis will be increased 51.2 percent, from about $18.3 billion to $27.65 billion.

It is a long overdue increase. Spending money on roads and bridges is too easy for lawmakers to put off, and many American roads have suffered from lack of maintenance.

Pete Winstead, chairman of the Texas Turnpike Authority, estimates that 53 percent of Texas highways are in poor or mediocre condition.

The highway spending bill will not solve all problems, but it will put the nation - and Texas - back on a better road.